Web Browser Inside Flash

[Saga]

Is it possible to use a flash app to either integrate IE/Mozilla or to emulate browser functionality? I am attempting to create a dynamic flash application for e-mail and have the intention of adding in web browser support functions (I first came to the idea when glancing over the demo on kidrocket.org and noticed they had the web browser semi integrated into their flash overlay - were they pages just cached or was it actually grabbing them from the web to display them, and how?).

Or, I suppose, if anyone has any better ideas on what language would best allow me to create a full page GUI overlay with the ability to manipulate mail via pop/smtp and the ability to have a web browser integrated all in one.

This is pretty rough, and I apologize! Basically ANY ideas on how I could pull this off would be greatly appreciated because there are numerous languages I am unfamiliar with and thus do not understand their full ability - however I am confident I can quickly pick them up if one can do the functions I need. Is Flash my solution, or is ASP? Please help me find what will work for my problem. =)

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: Izusaga
Or, I suppose, if anyone has any better ideas on what language would best allow me to create a full page GUI overlay with the ability to manipulate mail via pop/smtp and the ability to have a web browser integrated all in one.

Heres a better idea--drop the idea of using flash all together. From a usability perspective, flash is evil. It is literally the bottom of the barrel. Why not use server-side scripting, or if HAVE to have vector graphics use SVG? There is NO way to incorporate the functionality of a browser in flash because it intentionally removes/disables standards that were incorported and used in browsers (save for IE).

 

[Saga]

Take a look at kidrocket.org. I want to create something similiar to this for use at work for a machine that just does e-mail. I need it to take up the entire screen and have the abilitly to do both web browsing and e-mail via pop. The layout has to be dynamic and may be graphic heavy. To accomplish this I felt flash was my only option visually, what would you suggest otherwise?

 

[bersl2]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: Izusaga
Or, I suppose, if anyone has any better ideas on what language would best allow me to create a full page GUI overlay with the ability to manipulate mail via pop/smtp and the ability to have a web browser integrated all in one.

Heres a better idea--drop the idea of using flash all together. From a usability perspective, flash is evil. It is literally the bottom of the barrel. Why not use server-side scripting, or if HAVE to have vector graphics use SVG? There is NO way to incorporate the functionality of a browser in flash because it intentionally removes/disables standards that were incorported and used in browsers (save for IE).

How true. Something server-side is the only way. (Edit: scratch that. Perhaps Java. It can do these things client-side, if you seek the necessary permissions from the user.)

And I patiently wait for the day when Flash is dumped on the roadside in favor of SVG.

 

[Saga]

SVG is XML reliant basically from what I understand. Can this perform for the purposes I need it to mentioned two posts above this one?

 

[DaveSimmons]

The HTML rendering in Flash 7 is still extremely limited

If you lnow C++ or VB you could always use Visual Studio to write an app using the embeddable control version of IE. Either one would also let you connect and transfer data outside of the web control and create local pages to open.

For example in C++ use WinInet to open a POP3 mailserver, download mail, create local HTML pages from it, open them in the web control for viewing (and launching trojan attacks on your PC).

 

[bersl2]

Originally posted by: Izusaga
SVG is XML reliant basically from what I understand. Can this perform for the purposes I need it to mentioned two posts above this one?

SVG is pretty much a pure vector graphics format; the power of SVG comes from the fact that you can manipulate it like XHTML and CSS.

However, SVG isn't quite "ready for primetime." Firefox 1.5 will have a full and native implementation, and so might Opera soon. Adobe has a plugin, but that sort of defeats the purpose of being able to manipulate things (and it's not as though Adobe, having bought Macromedia, will want to supplant Flash with SVG).

It seems as though you want to run an HTML renderer and mail program within an HTML renderer, via some sort of executable inbetween. This is horribly inefficient. Might I suggest just building your own executable program as a frontend to a preexisting HTML rendering engine, such as Gecko or KHTML? There are vector drawing libraries available if you want such a UI.

Don't take this wrong, but it sounds like what you have in mind is currently out of your league and is going to require you to level-up; it's not a process of putting a small number of preexisting monolithic components together with a smidgeon of glue code; it's going to be putting a large number of small, discrete components together with a large helping of mortar.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Don't take this wrong, but it sounds like what you have in mind is currently out of your league and is going to require you to level-up; it's not a process of putting a small number of preexisting monolithic components together with a smidgeon of glue code; it's going to be putting a large number of small, discrete components together with a large helping of mortar.

Not too hard though as long as you know VC++ or VB and you don't mind paying money for a net code library like Dart's POP/SMTP components to combine with the control version of IE.

Of course the result is an EXE that only runs on Windows PCs, but that is >95% of the market.

 

[Saga]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Don't take this wrong, but it sounds like what you have in mind is currently out of your league and is going to require you to level-up; it's not a process of putting a small number of preexisting monolithic components together with a smidgeon of glue code; it's going to be putting a large number of small, discrete components together with a large helping of mortar.

Not too hard though as long as you know VC++ or VB and you don't mind paying money for a net code library like Dart's POP/SMTP components to combine with the control version of IE.

Of course the result is an EXE that only runs on Windows PCs, but that is >95% of the market.

In all honesty, this I can do. The individuals driving the little project specifically wanted flash, and my explanation to them is I do not think it can be done. Never say "I do not think" to a suit because the immediate presumption is that it just hasn't been done yet. I plan to simply use this post as an example of why I should just build a regular standalone app.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Heres a better idea--drop the idea of using flash all together. From a usability perspective, flash is evil. It is literally the bottom of the barrel.

I have to completely disagree. I think Flash could someday replace Java as the defacto multi-platform language.